


I Get a Little Bit...

by elletromil



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Genghis Khan Fusion, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Kid!Eggsy, M/M, Supervillain!Merlin, kid!Roxy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 12:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7801705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Merlin is putting his two children to bed when his phone starts ringing with a too familiar alert. He curses under his breath, thankful that Roxy is already fast asleep and won’t reprimand him on his language.</i>
</p><p>Or the Genghis Khan Merlahad au everyone wanted but nobody was writing</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Get a Little Bit...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Skyefallen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyefallen/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIA <3333 I HOPE YOU LIKE YOUR GIFT :D AND THAT YOUR DAY IS GONNA BE GREAT!
> 
> I won't be repeating everything I said on tumblr, but really, I hope you liked this! It was so hard not asking you your opinion all the time about every details, but hopefully I did a good job adapting the Genghis Khan video to a Merlahad fic (or is it the opposite?)

Merlin is putting his two children to bed when his phone starts ringing with a too familiar alert. He curses under his breath, thankful that Roxy is already fast asleep and won’t reprimand him on his language.

Unfortunately one glance at Eggsy’s bed is enough to reveal that his son is still awake and that he knows the alarm means Merlin will be gone for a few days _at least_ and that he doesn’t like it one bit. And yet, he stays silent, even though Merlin can see him pout even in the darkness.

That would fill Merlin with pride, just how well behaved Eggsy is, if only he didn’t know that this all stem from the lad’s fear that his adoptive family will return him to the orphanage, as if he’s damaged good.

He can even understand him, since at first Merlin had wanted to know nothing about children, no matter what Chester had been telling him about how it would help with their image, help them better hide in plain sight. He doesn’t remember how Chester had managed to convince him to go with him to the orphanage, but somehow, he had ended up following him and like Chester, he had been quite charmed by Roxy. Unlike Chester however, he had noticed how close Roxy and Eggsy had seemed to be and how, no matter the brave front they had tried to put on, it had been clear as day that the idea of being separated had been devastating to them.

In the end, it had been Merlin who had ignored Chester’s protests and adopted both kids and welcomed them into their life.

Well, considering how little interaction Chester actually has with them, even Roxy, it might be better saying _his_ life, but he has faith that his partner just needs some time to adapt to the reality of having the children in their home.

Right now though, he really _should_ be leaving, he actually has very little time to waste. However instead of doing so, he sits down on the edge of Eggsy’s bed and gently shuffles his hair until his lad finds his smile again.

“I’ll be back before you know it and we’ll go to the zoo… If you promise me you’ll be on your best behavior and listen to what Chester tells you.”

Eggsy’s smile loses a bit of his brilliance at that last part, but he still nods. “Promise?”

“I promise lad. Now I really need to get going,” and even if he is in a hurry, nothing would have stopped him from taking the time to press a kiss on his forehead and then making a quick detour to press one on Roxy’s too.

*

It’s already too late when he gets to their secret base of operations, but to be frank, it would probably have been too late even if Merlin had been on the premises already. It pains him to admit it, but Harry Hart, gentleman extraordinaire really _is_ that good.

Chester will be angry they’ll have to put their plans on hold again, until they can say for sure what Hart has discovered about their objective and how they can counteract any of his attempts to stop them.

However, as far as Merlin is concerned, the delay is only a minor irritant, especially when compared to Chester’s behaviour when he is in a sour mood.

Although, now that Merlin takes a moment to think about it, Chester has not been anything close to happy in years. Oh, he puts on a good front in the company of others, but no matter what they achieve, he’s never content, he always wants more, always wants it faster.

At the beginning of their partnership, Merlin could understand it, even excuse it. His work had been an investment after all, it mattered very little that he and Chester had wanted to change the world, there had been no assurances of success in their enterprise.

But since their shaky beginnings, they’ve had years and years of small and not so small victories, all thanks to Merlin and his inventions and yet Chester has never looked satisfied. Merlin starts to fear that maybe Chester no longer wants to change the world for the better as much as he wants to bend it to his own will.

If Merlin had any other option, he probably would have stopped working for the other man years ago. Unfortunately, the man has all the money and Merlin’s life is pretty much his work, his research, his inventions. He cannot have one without the other.

***

One might think it strange for a gentleman spy such as Harry Hart to be strolling at the zoo during his downtime, but it is indeed what he is doing right now. Of course, that’s not always his destination, but he usually likes being in places amongst families, couples and groups of friends, if only to be reminded of why he continues to fight the good fight.

It is somewhat a bittersweet reminder, even more so now that he is getting on with years and the possibility of him having a family of his own gets thinner and thinner, but he’d rather know that he’s allowing other their happiness rather than see it be destroyed by some nefarious mastermind.

He sighs when his thoughts inevitably turn towards Merlin, the genius who had been as his very own personal nemesis since his early days as a spy.

He wishes he could despise him, but to be frank, Harry holds mostly admiration for him. Of course, most of his plans are pure evil and would be utterly destructive if Harry wasn’t there to foil them, but every time without a fault, Merlin manages to turn them around for the betterment of the nation, if not the whole human race in some cases. Now, if only Merlin could come to those happy conclusions without Harry’s interference… But he doubts a talk would make the genius see the error of his chosen path of villainy. The only way to truly stop him would be to block his funding, but his domestic partner Chester King is ignorant of Merlin’s activities and thus completely untouchable.

Not that Harry believes for a second that King is all that innocent, but his gut instinct is unfortunately not sufficient proof for his superiors.

His musings on King’s probable evilness are cut short when he feels the sleeve of his suit jacket being pulled upon. He turns around quickly and, after a moment of confusion when he sees no one in his immediate vicinity, looks down.

There stands a child, that can be no older than seven or eight, with big green eyes and a wobbly lip, a boy that looks strangely familiar to Harry. Before he can wrack his brain to find out why exactly he has the feeling he should know him when he’s perfectly aware he’s not acquainted with any kid, the boy starts speaking.

“Excuse me sir, but- but I’ve lost my Da.” His eyes are filled with tears and while Harry doesn’t believe in this poppycock about how boys don’t cry, he also doesn’t have the faintest clue as to how to deal with a crying child.

Without any conscious decision on his part, he’s kneeling on the ground before the child and patting his shoulder in a resemblance of comfort.

“I’ll help you find him okay?” He waits for the boy to acknowledge him with a shaky nod before continuing. “We’ll make our way to a security station and if we haven’t found him by then, I’ll wait with you there, alright?”

As if the boy only needed a purpose to calm himself, he smiles brightly at Harry after rubbing his eyes with his fists. Harry would call him adorable if he wasn’t sure that he is at an age where he would take offense at being called so.

He debates a moment between getting the boy on his shoulders so he can better see through the crowd or simply holding his hand, before he decides he’s far less likely to be thought a kidnapper if he limits his contact with the boy. Hand holding it is.

He doesn’t even have to tell the boy, because as soon as he stand up from his kneeling position, his hand is snatched between two smaller ones. He presses the fingers gently, wordlessly reassuring the boy that he wouldn’t let go, no matter what.

“So your Da?” He asks as they start walking toward the closest security station, “What does he look like?”

Harry has to bit the inside of his cheeks lightly not to smile over how cute the boy is when he just seem to light up at the mention of his father.

“He’s tall! Like, really, really tall! Taller than you! And he’s got no hair and dark eyes, but they’re like, super nice?”

That is a somewhat vague description, but at least he knows to be on the lookout for a bald giant. There can’t be that many of them walking around.

“Were you with anyone else?”

“Yes! My sister Roxy! She’s a bit smaller than me and she has a ponytail and today she’s wearing blue, like me!”

If not for the father’s description, that wouldn’t help him much, but the two combined should be enough. Anyway, in the worst scenario, he’ll just have to wait with the boy at the security station. Being the one reuniting the family would be nice of course, but it’s not like he has to be the hero all the time.

*

To say Merlin is panicking is the understatement of the century. Panic has been when he had first noticed that Eggsy wasn’t in his direct line of sight anymore and has transformed into something even worst when he had realised that the lad hadn’t just trailed behind to look at an animal but was well and truly _gone_.

Not that he can show any of his inner turmoil, not when he has Roxy to think about still and the last thing he wants is to frighten her more than she must already be that her brother is lost. So he keeps a somewhat calm front as he quickly walks toward the first security station and if he’s holding Roxy’s hand tighter than usual, well, she’s gripping his just as hard.

For once since Merlin has adopted the children, he finds himself wishing that Eggsy was a more difficult lad, that he was a bit more rebellious, that his absence from his side would mean he has just left to explore on his own rather than all the other horrible possibilities that are coming to Merlin’s mind.

The security station is just within eyesight when he hears a relieved cry and the familiar weight of his child come barreling against his leg.

“Da!!!”

He’s kneeling on the floor in a second, wrapping Eggsy in a tight embrace, whispering grateful prayers to deities he never believed in.

“Eggsy! Where were you? You had me worried sick lad! Are you hurt, is everything alright?” He leans away from the hug to inspect the child, but except for looking a bit shaken, he seems to be right as rain.

“I’m sorry Da, I wanted to look at the monkeys but then I couldn’t see you anymore and I didn’t know what to do, but then Mr Harry said he’d take me to security and wait with me, but we didn’t need to wait because we spotted you and then-”

Merlin gently hush the kid in favor of hugging him close again. If he’s being his usual blabbermouth then he must be okay and Merlin can truly calm down and appreciate the rush of pure _relief_ that hits him now that both his children are safe and sound with him.

However, Merlin hasn’t forgotten his manners and the least he can do is to thank the kind stranger that has helped reunite his little family. When he looks up however, his blood run cold when he realises that the man is no stranger.

“You…” For a crazy moment he thinks that this must have been Harry Hart latest attempt to force him into custody, but not only does Hart appears as surprised to see him, Merlin knows that’s not the man style at all. Hart doesn’t _pretend_ he’s a gentleman, he truly _is_ one. He would never involve innocent bystanders in their game of cat and mouse.

“Do you know each other?” Roxy pipes up curiously, reminding Merlin that both his children need equal attention.

“Yes we do. Your father and I are… colleagues, of a sort.” Hart answers her, while Merlin is still at a loss as to what to say. That makes him snort in derision, but he still shoots the man a grateful smile for not dragging his children into it. Hart shakes his head lightly, as if to tell him to think nothing of it.

The silent exchange flies over the two children’s heads entirely, far more interested in studying the person they’ve met who works with their father and soon enough, they’re shooting a volley of question in the other man’s direction.

Hart answers them all willingly, bending the truth to paint a believable and flattering portrait of Merlin’s work to his children. And really, he should probably take his leave from the spy as quickly as possible, but it’s difficult to do so with Eggsy and Roxy looking so lively when they are usually much more shy around strangers. Also, if he’s being entirely honest with himself, he has to admit Hart’s fond smile might have a little to do with his reluctance to leave.

“What do you say we continue to pester Mr Harry after we’ve gotten some ice cream?” The children are nodding with excitement of course, but he can see Hart opening his mouth to protest. “I insist, as a thank you,” he adds in a rush.

If it’s his genuine words or the children’s puppy eyed looks that convince Hart to accept, Merlin doesn’t care. What’s important is that once his decision is made, he follow them without hesitation and Merlin spends the rest of his afternoon having more fun than he’s had in a long time.

***

“Umf, you should have left him there, we could have been rid of the little street runt,” is the first thing that comes out of Chester’s mouth when Merlin tells him about today’s fright of losing Eggsy. He hasn’t mentioned Harry yet, because in the grand scheme of life it seems far less important than their children.

That’s when he realises that Roxy and Eggsy have never really been Chester’s children, just his. He knows of course that Chester and Eggsy have had some trouble together, but this? This is completely unacceptable.

“Get out,” if he was in hell, those two words would have suffice to freeze it all over.

“Oh Merlin, come on, I was only joking,” Chester rolls his eyes in annoyance and he doesn’t seem to realise just how close Merlin is to punching him in the face.

Now that he has identified that slow simmering feeling under his skin as the desire to hurt the other man, Merlin understand just how long it has been since he hasn’t really been able to stand the sight of him.

“Well, _I_ was _not_. Get out of my house and stay away from my children.”

Chester’s shock doesn’t last long, soon replaced by rage.

“Do you really think I’ll leave just like that? Without me you’re nothing Merlin, _nothing_. You’ll have no funding, no base of operations, no personnel, no-”

“I am not saying I’ll stop our work! I just want you out of my house and of my children’s life! You’re the one who cannot shut up about how everything we do must be so that we appear normal and cast away any suspicion? Well guess what? Separation is plenty normal! Now get out of my house!”

It must finally register to Chester just how serious Merlin is about this, because he ends up leaving after huffing in disgust.

The moment he hears the door closing, Merlin sags on the sofa, feeling directionless for the first time in decades. They might not have been together in the romantic sense of the word, but he’s been in that partnership with Chester for longer than he’s ever been by himself at this point. He’s not sure what he is supposed to do now that he has kicked him out.

That is, right until he’s joined by his two little treasures, Eggsy and Roxy each pressing against one of his side. No matter what happens now, he’ll do everything to keep them safe and happy. He owes them that after all the joy they’ve brought in his life since he’s taken them home.

“Is he coming back?” Eggsy is the first to break the silence, worry in his voice and Merlin cannot believe he’s subjected the lad to Chester’s presence for as long as he did. The other man might only have been negligent regarding the child, but it’s been enough to dull Eggsy’s cheery personality. Even Roxy has not been unaffected, he only has to compare the way they were with Harry this afternoon to all the time they’ve spent home with Chester around.

“No lad, he won’t,” he reassures quickly, because he’s never been more serious about anything than he had been about the separation, no matter that it had been kind of a spur of the moment thing. “I guess it’ll be just the three of us from now on.”

“What about Mr Harry?” The question is innocent, but it still amazes Merlin how much of an impact Hart has had on the children over the course of a lone afternoon, especially for Roxy to be the one to ask it.

“There’s nothing between me and Mr Harry, lass. And there won’t ever be.” It is a strangely painful admission, no matter its veracity.

“But, but he likes you!” Roxy protests, pouting and Eggsy nods in agreement.

“And you like him!” The lad declares, as if liking one another is all it takes. Unfortunately, the world is far more complex than the logic of a seven years old.

“That’s exactly our problem, kids.”

***

Harry really shouldn’t be here, especially without getting his superiors’ approval for the mission or simply even telling anyone what he planned on doing. However, there is something fishy happening with Merlin and he just can’t leave it alone. He doesn’t care what his superiors tell him, King and Merlin’s very public separation isn’t normal at all. They might have never hidden their relationship to the public eye, but they’ve always been tasteful in their display of intimacy. The spectacle Chester King has been giving the media for the last few days is just too uncharacteristic not to hide something.

The rest of the agency simply believes that King has become slightly unhinge after realising that his partner for years has been using his money for evil. They also believe that they only need to wait for a few more days before King will deliver Merlin to them on a silver platter, but Harry doesn’t share their stupidity. There is a reason Merlin has been unstoppable for all these years, it’s because he doesn’t make mistakes, doesn’t leave anything to chance.

That whole business with King sounds too much like a trap, but for whom and to what end, Harry is still unsure.

He bites back a sound of victory when he manages to open the hidden drawer in Merlin’s desk, but cannot fight off the smile when he sees the children’s picture on top of whatever is hidden away.

He’s still somewhat embarrassed that he hadn’t recognize the boy at once that afternoon at the zoo, when he’s made it a point to memorize everything that has to do with Merlin for longer than he cares to admit. Though in his defense, there has been very few mentions of the kids since their adoption. If it hadn’t been for spending the afternoon with them, he would think they were just another publicity stunt, but even Merlin cannot be that good of an actor. It’s clear to anyone with eyes that the man loves his children and that his children love him back.

All thoughts of love flee his mind however when he spots a familiar name in the paperwork he’s just got his hands onto. Surely, he’s mistaken, Merlin wouldn’t associate with such a sociopath as _Valentine_ , but the more he reads, the more damning it is and he cannot fool himself any longer into thinking that Merlin isn’t that bad of a man.

It’s a shock of course to find out how he’s been played all those years, but it is still no excuse to have let the guard sneak up on him and render him unconscious with a well placed hit. Yet, it’s exactly what happens.

*

Merlin is still tinkering with the death ray when Harry wakes up. Partly because it is still in the experimentation phase of development and partly for reasons he doesn’t dare look at too closely.

Now is not the time for sentimentality, but for efficiency. Which means he probably shouldn’t have decided to test out the death ray today, but what is done is done. He’ll just have to ignore Hart’s incessant chatter, something he’s learned to do years ago during their first encounters.

He’s busy frowning at some wiring that is clearly _wrong_ , what the bloody hell are the minions in charge of the project thinking really, so at first, he doesn’t notice how uncharacteristically silent the spy is being.

One glance at him is enough for Merlin to know it has nothing to do with sulking at being caught or fear of dying. It’s something else, something that makes Hart look extremely sad, completely furious and faintly disgusted all at the same time. And yet, the spy doesn’t try to engage him in conversation, doesn’t try to delay the inevitable in the hopes of making some daring escape. He simply stares emptily in the distance, not even attempting to struggle against his ties, the very picture of resignation.

He must have decided to accept his fate graciously and Merlin isn’t feeling any disappointment over it. None whatsoever.

Much like he doesn’t feel any relief when the spy finally breaks the silence.

“I just don’t understand how you can do that-”

“The same reason you always find your way back to my office, I’d guess,” Merlin interrupts him shortly, exasperated that Hart would try to appeal to his morals or some such nonsense after all those years. However, the other man continues as if Merlin had never opened his mouth.

“- when you have kids! Not that I think you’ll let anything happen to Eggsy and Roxy, but what about all those other children? Surely be the first casualty of your crazy plan!”

“What the bloody hell are you on about Hart?”

“What am I o-?” The spy gives a violent tug against his ties, primarily with his leg, as if to kick Merlin. It is slightly worrying that the gurney he is strapped onto nearly topples with the force of it, but soon it won’t be an issue anymore. “No, no you don’t get to act like you don’t fucking know! Fucking hell, now is no longer the time for plausible deniability!”

Merlin opens his mouth to protest, before thinking better of it. He owes Hart nothing, no explanation, no justification. When Merlin doesn’t react, Hart huffs in annoyance and grits his teeth, more grim-looking than he’s ever been before.

He closes his eyes, looking like a petulant child, and Merlin goes back to his tinkering, thinking that will be the last of it. The silence lasts until he finishes wiring the death ray into something that will work instead of explode into his face.

“The thing I really don’t understand though, is Valentine! I can respect you being all evil mastermind, but teaming up with bloody Valentine? Saying the man is batshit crazy is an understatement!”

“Valentine?” He sputters the name in shock, bewildered that Hart can think for one second he would willingly associate with the madman. He’s never made a secret that he loathed Valentine and his method and wouldn’t even piss on him if he was on fire.

“Oh right, I forgot, your "plausible deniability" or whatever. It’s not like I didn’t read your “super-secret” plans in your hidden drawer.”

“Plans, what plans? Wha-” He knows exactly what drawer Hart is talking about, but it’s been _years_ since he’s left anything truly incriminating in it because Merlin knows it’s the first place the spy check anytime he breaks in. However, even if it is a foolish thing to do, he trusts Hart no to make up something like that, the man is simply too honorable for his own good. In the end, there is a very easy way to find out the truth and Merlin doesn’t waste a moment ordering over the minion who has been responsible for capturing the spy. “Hesketh! Bring me what was on him when you found him!”

It doesn’t take long for the young man to come back with some papers in hands. The sight of them makes him nervous because they simply shouldn’t have existed and he makes everyone leave the room before he even start reading what is on them.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” This was… bad. Very bad. It is no wonder that Hart is reacting this strongly. What he is reading all points to Merlin having become allies with Valentine and concocting some crazy plan to wipe out at least a good third of the world population.

The worse in all this is that except for Merlin’s personal involvement, this is probably all true. Which means Chester has been playing him for some time already, if not since the very beginning of their partnership.

Of course, when he had thrown Chester out of the house, Merlin had known that the man would take his revenge on him somehow, but he had seriously thought he would have more time. Turns out, it is already too late.

“What are you doing?”

Even after being freed from his ties, Hart stays lying down on the gurney, watching him with confusion. Not that Merlin can blame him. Things _have_ suddenly made a 180° turn for what would seem like no reason at all to the spy.

“I thought it was obvious… I’m letting you go. Now you can either arrest me and bring me to the proper authorities or leave like nothing happened. It won’t make much of a difference for me anyway.”

The other finally sits up, but he still looks at Merlin as if he suddenly had a head full of hair.

“The fuck are _you_ going on about?”

Merlin still doesn’t owe Hart anything and he knows that explaining what is truly happening won’t change a damn thing and yet, he can’t stop himself.

“Not that you have any reasons to believe me, but _I_ am not the one teaming up with Valentine. _Chester_ is.”

There is a moment of silence during which the two men stare at each other and then it is suddenly broken by Hart laughing in triumph and pumping his fist through the air.

“I fucking _knew_ it! I knew that man was evil!”

It is Merlin’s turn to look at the spy as if _he_ had abruptly lost all the damn curls on his head, something that would have probably been less weird to witness than to see him in such an undignified manner.

“... You knew?”

“Well, suspected. I just never found any proof to back up my hunch.”

“What made you suspect in the first place?” Not that Merlin isn’t happy that Hart has had doubts, but Chester has always been a master of hiding himself and his true intentions. Hell, Merlin has been his partner for _years_ and he’s just now realising how much he’s been played too. The worst is, he’s only just now scraping the surface of Chester’s treachery.

Hart mumbles something nearly indiscernible, uncharacteristically flushing.

“What does my marriage have to do with it?”

Hart clears his throat self-consciously and avoids his gaze, but still answers him.

“No offense, but if King had been just some innocent unaware of your _activities_ , the only reason he would have to marry you was love. And from all of your public appearances, you sure looked like a great partner, but King never looked happy and wasn’t even remotely approaching decent partner material.”

He isn’t all that wrong of course, not that it ever bothered Merlin because his marriage with Chester had never been one of love, but practicality. However, to have come to this conclusion, Hart must have scrutinize their every moves with more zeal than necessary, even for a spy observing a possible threat.

“So what you are saying is that you started suspecting Chester because I- I, what, I deserved better?”

The other man darts a glance at him, nodding sheepishly, whispering a heartfelt “ _yes_ ”.

For the first time in _years_ Merlin is at a loss as to what to say and Hart is not the only one in the room being redder on the cheeks than usual.

However, that new revelation doesn’t change his predicament.

“Anyway, it doesn’t change who I am or what I did. I still have some things to put in order so if you don’t mind I’ll be doing just that while you make your decision on what to do with me.” At this point, it’s mostly about calling Percival to cash in the favor the scientist owes him so that he’ll take care of Roxy and Eggsy until he finds a better home for them, because there is no way in hell that he’s leaving them into Chester’s care.

If only he had more time, he would plan something that would make Chester regret betraying him, but vengeance takes second place to the children’s well-being.

“What you’ll just let King win?” Somehow, the spy looks even more disappointed than when he had thought Merlin was working with Valentine.

“He’s already won! Even if I did something, it would only make me more of a villain and him a martyr! Who would believe me?”

“I would… I do!”

“I am pretty sure your bosses won’t like you affiliating with a known criminal though.”

“Of course not! But my orders have been to stop you only because it has been obvious after a few encounters that you wouldn’t let yourself be recruited. And sure, at first you would be on some probation for a while, but they would rather have you on their team than face the very possible revenge you’d rain on them the day you manage to escape.” The last part is said very much matter of factly, as if Merlin escaping what will probably be a maximum security prison is a given. It is both flattering and humbling that the spy has such faith in his capacities.

He has to say, Hart does make a tempting offer. Not one he would have consider in his early years, but with the kids to think of, he can’t say that he would be angry to have something more stable. And of course Hart’s agency isn’t all fluffy bunnies and rainbows, but their philosophy more or less aligns with his. Worst case scenario, he’s still a bloody _villain_ , if he doesn’t like something, betraying them would be all too easy.

“So you are saying that with only your say so, they would give me a chance?”

“Well I assume you also have some incriminating evidences against King, but yes, that’s what I am saying. You wouldn’t be the first. Take the assassin Lancelot for example. Very decent fellow when you get to know him and a devil at cards.”

“Lancelot has always been working for Kingsman, he was just undercover.”

That revelation had been a pretty big shock within the community, one that has many people reeling even years later.

“Has he really? Or is it that when he was offered the choice of death and working with us he chose the latter? And Kingsman might not be perfect, but we do take care of our own.”

This is something no one would ever argue about. While there has never been unjust retribution for agents killed in the line of duties, the few who had treacherously attacked a Kingsman when they were off the clock were no longer alive to warn about how much of a bad idea it was.

By letting the rumour run that Lancelot had always been a member of Kingsman, the agency was offering the assassin an invaluable protection from disgruntle patrons who wouldn’t have taken kindly that their favourite and most efficient killer for hire had decided to more or less change side.

If they were to offer the same to Merlin, he would never have to fear retaliation of any kind, from anyone.

“So what do you say to my offer?” The spy has been on his feet for a while now and he’s anxiously waiting by the door for Merlin to decide.

An evil smile stretches his lips when he realises just how much he will be able to hurt Chester with all of Kingsman behind him.

“Let me show you where I hide the really good stuff.”

Harry (not Hart anymore, but simply _Harry_ now that there is no need for artificial distance between them) smiles in return and Merlin wouldn’t call it an evil one, but it surely isn’t a nice one either.

***

Merlin is putting his two children to bed when the familiar ringtone starts playing. He sighs in fond exasperation when the once calm and sleepy children bolt from their bed to run to the computer where a window is flashing in wait for them to accept or decline the incoming call.

Merlin follows them, but at a more sedate pace, smiling when he gets to the office in time to hear the chorus of happy “Dad!” greeting the man smiling on the monitor.

“Hey kids! I hope you aren’t giving too much trouble to your Da while I’m gone?”

Roxy and Eggsy both shake their head and Merlin rolls his eyes. Of course, he wouldn’t have it any other way, but the two children are energetic little hellions. They’re lucky to be as cute as they are and to have mastered the art of puppy eyed looks or Merlin would be much more strict with them.

“It’s a bit late for a call Harry,” Merlin wants to be annoyed, but his voice holds no heat and he knows he’s probably sporting the same idiotic smile as Harry is when he finally steps into the camera’s line of sight.

“Yes, sorry about that. I wanted to call earlier but I was a bit _tied up_ in a meeting.”

Merlin snorts in amusement while Harry seems so very pleased with his stupid pun.

“When are you coming back Dad?”

“It’s boring without you!”

The words would sting more if Merlin didn’t share in the sentiment. Sure they have fun without Harry, but he’s always made things that much more exciting without even trying to.

“I should be back by Friday at the latest. So you better think on where you want to go by then!”

Of course, as soon as the words register, Roxy and Eggsy starts fighting about whether to go to the zoo or the aquarium or the museum or.... Merlin soon loses track of who wants to go where. Knowing their children, they’ll come to some kind of agreement by the time Harry is back and trying to get between them would only start World War Three.

He’s much more interested in getting updated about Harry’s latest mission in veiled terms and to be reassured that his husband hasn’t suffered more than the indignity of being literally tied up by the arms dealer he was meeting.

Not that anyone would think Harry minded the treatment much, what with the aura of pure contentment around him at being with his family even with the miles and miles physically separating them.


End file.
